HILLIARD, Ohio -- J.K. Rowling’s pop-cultural phenomenon Harry Potter has become a cultural icon in recent years, and one of the most popular Harry Potter references is the wizarding sport of Quidditch.
The once fantasy sport has become a real-world competition thanks to two college students.
In 2005, two Middlebury College students, Alex Benepe and Xander Manshel, decided to adapt Rowling’s fictional sport into a playable game, according to ESPN.com.
They created Muggle Quiddich (Muggle meaning nonmagical people) which is similar to Rowling’s fantasy game with a few minor alterations.
The game is played with two teams of seven players, as stated by Benepe and Manshel’s Intercollegiate Quidditch Rules and Guidebook.
The teams includes three chasers, who try to score points by throwing the Quaffle (usually a volleyball or soccer ball); two beaters, who throw dodge balls at the opposing team to prevent them from scoring; one keeper, who prevents the Quaffle from entering the hoop and a seeker, who tries to catch the Snitch Runner and grab the snitch (a tennis ball inside a sock) from their back.
When the snitch is caught by a seeker the game is automatically won.
Muggle Quidditch has quickly evolved from a Middlebury undergrad pastime to an intercollegiate tournament.
In the fall of 2008, Middlebury College held its second annual intercollegiate Qudditch tournament which included twelve university teams.
Since then over 180 colleges expressed interest in forming teams.
The state of Ohio even has its own independent Quidditch league, with three teams currently active.
The teams are The Daytonnati Dementors, The Columbus Cruciatus and The AstraMaxima.
The league is based off of fans from a Harry Potter Web site.
Students at Darby have also expressed interest in forming a Muggle Quidditch team as well.
“I would absolutely like to form a Muggle Quidditch league at Darby,” said senior Katie Dotson. “It would give students who might not generally partake in physical activity an outlet to do so in an easy environment. It would just be awesome.”
To learn more about Muggle Quidditch, read the Intercollegiate Quidditch Rules and Guidebook online at http://sites.google.com/site/savannahquidditchleague/IQARulebook.
This story first was written for Hilliard Darby’s Panther Press and shared with NBC 4 as part of a media collaboration between schools and the station.
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